Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: The Most Exhilarating Transit Ride in America

podcast icon logo

This week's guest is Matt Johnson, a bike planner for Montgomery County, Maryland, and a writer at Greater Greater Washington. Instead of visiting every baseball park or trying out each city’s regional cuisine, Matt rides their rail systems. In fact, he’s ridden every American urban rail system open today (101 total), as shown in this handy spreadsheet.

Matt tells us about his favorite systems and what got him started on his journey to ride them all. We also get into the allure of long-distance Amtrak travel and how the annual #NerdTrain -- a gathering of GGW contributors and friends aboard Amtrak -- got started. And we of course get Matt's take on several DC transit topics including the streetcar, the walkability problem with Tyson’s Corner, and how transit planners choose alignments for new routes.

So tune in and find out which city is home to "The Most Exhilarating Transit Ride in America."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

SOFTBALLS: Eight Takeaways from Trump’s DOT Choice Sean Duffy’s Confirmation Hearing

The former reality star, congressman and Fox News host said "yes" to just about everything during his confirmation hearing — but wasn't asked the hard questions.

January 15, 2025

Zona Roberts — Leading Figure in Accessibility — is Dead

The "wheel behind the wheelchair" has died.

January 15, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Running Out of Time

Our chance to avoid catastrophic climate change continues to slip away without urgent action.

January 15, 2025

‘A Big Deal’: Buttigieg’s Final Grants Give Hundreds of Millions To Sustainable Transportation

Secretary Pete's parting gift to America includes big money for bikeways, highways-to-boulevards projects, and more.

January 15, 2025

Video: Trolley Buses are Great Nuts-and-Bolts Transit

The Armchair Urbanist says San Francisco already has a great solution for transit. Let's stop looking for magic technologies and do more of it.

January 14, 2025
See all posts